Deck 2: The Science of Social Psychology

Question 1

Gender and level of self-esteem can be considered examples of ______________

A) hypotheses
B) research questions
C) theories
D) variables

Answer 1

variables

Question 2

You hypothesize that lack of sleep impairs cognitive ability.In order to test your hypothesis,you will have to determine how to define and measure 'lack of sleep' and 'cognitive ability'.This is another way of saying that you will have to:

A) develop a research question
B) develop a theory
C) develop a hypothesis
D) create an operational definition

Answer 2

create an operational definition

Question 3

According to you your textbook,what is considered the first step in the research process?

A) Creating a research question
B) Creating a hypothesis
C) Defining your variables
D) Colleting the data for your study

Answer 3

Creating a research question

Question 4

The tendency to view events that have already occurred in the past as more predictable than they were before they took place is defined as _____________.

A) Hindsight bias
B) Observational bias
C) The false consensus effect
D) Retrospection

Question 5

Luri decides to conduct a study to examine whether pre-school boys and girls spend more time talking to same-sex or opposite sex children.In this example,preschool children represents_____________.

A) the variable
B) the hypothesis
C) the population
D) the sample

Question 6

Which of the following would NOT represent a formal step in the research process?

A) Searching personal blogs and websites like Wikipedia for information on your topic
B) Gathering past research and background information on a topic
C) Developing a research question
D) Developing a hypothesis

Question 7

A _____________ is a general framework for understanding a concept that allows us to describe,predict,and explain events.

A) research question
B) hypothesis
C) variable
D) theory

Question 8

Consistent measurement refers to ______________.

A) validity
B) reliability
C) replication
D) sampling

Question 9

Which of the following statements is most accurate about descriptive research?

A) Descriptive research can tell researchers what caused a behavior.
B) Descriptive research allows investigators to control for all factors that may affect the results of a study.
C) Descriptive research can be used to find out why an event occurred.
D) Descriptive research can be used to gather information about characteristics of a population.

Question 10

Researchers conducting a study in the US find that college-aged students in the Northeast tend to support same-sex marriages.They then decide to conduct the exact same study on college-aged students in the south and find similar results.This process of repeating a study to corroborate original results is known as ________________.

A) validity
B) reliability
C) replication
D) peer review

Question 11

Daniel cheated on his college history exam and believes that,like himself,almost every student cheats on an exam at least once or twice.Assuming he is incorrect,Daniel's tendency to overestimate the extent to which others cheat is known as _______________.

A) Hindsight bias
B) The false consensus effect
C) The 'I knew it all along' phenomenon
D) The overestimation effect

Question 12

Which adage best illustrates the concept of hindsight bias?

A) The early bird gets the worm.
B) Hindsight is 20/20.
C) Birds of a feather flock together.
D) You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Question 13

When experts in a field review and comment on other colleagues' work,this is known as _______________.

A) Expert review
B) Scientific review
C) Search and review
D) Peer review

Question 14

The measurement of a variable is considered valid when:

A) it produces the same result over and over again
B) it measures what it is supposed to measure
C) it can be supported as true
D) none of the above

Question 15

Laurie hypothesizes that women will be more likely than men to hold a door open for others.She decides to watch people coming in and out of a local coffee shop,recording the sex of each individual who holds the door open for another person.Laurie is conducting what type of research?

A) Experimental research
B) Naturalistic observation
C) Archival research
D) Correlational research

Question 16

Which of the following hypotheses is currently stated in the least testable form?

A) Good parenting leads to better behaved children
B) Watching more than 5 hours of television a day is related to weight gain.
C) Teenagers who join gangs are more likely to have criminal records.
D) Individuals in relationships will report higher life satisfaction.

Question 17

Prior to beginning your search for literature on your research topic,you should do which of the following?

A) Search Wikipedia for preliminary information on your topic.
B) Identify key words relevant to your topic.
C) Search personal blogs to familiarize yourself with the topic.
D) Collect the data for your study.

Question 18

You routinely stop at a nearby restaurant every Friday to pick-up your favorite tuna-melt sandwich.During your latest visit,you are shocked to learn that the sandwich you love so much has been taken off the menu because it is not very popular among customers.Your surprise can best be explained by _____________?

A) The 'I knew it all along' phenomenon
B) Hindsight bias
C) The false uniqueness effect
D) The false consensus effect

Question 19

You have reservations about taking an advanced chemistry class but you decide to register anyway.After you receive a D on your first exam you think to yourself,"I knew this class was going to be too hard! I never should have signed up." Your belief that you knew the outcome all along refers to what phenomenon?

A) Regret
B) The false uniqueness effect
C) Hindsight bias
D) The false consensus effect

Question 20

A researcher formed the following hypothesis: "Good children receive more positive attention from their parents than bad children".The main problem with this hypothesis is:

A) The hypothesis is too specific.
B) The hypothesis does not define the sample of interest.
C) 'Good children' and 'bad children' are too vague and abstract.
D) There is no problem with the hypothesis.

Question 21

You conduct a study on college students and find that there is a positive correlation between exercise and happiness.What can you conclude based on your findings?

A) If college students exercise, they will be happy.
B) An increase in exercise is associated with an increase in happiness.
C) An increase in happiness is associated with an increase in exercise.
D) Both an increase in exercise is associated with an increase in happiness and an increase in happiness is associated with an increase in exercise.

Question 22

Field experiments are considered to be high in which of the following?

A) Internal validity
B) External validity
C) Internal validity and reliability
D) Neither internal or external validity

Question 23

In an experimental research design,the group that receives the main treatment or manipulation is called ____________.

A) the experimental group
B) the control group
C) the research group
D) the manipulated group

Question 24

In an experimental research design,the group that does not receive the main treatment,and is used for comparison to the treatment group is called ____________.

A) the experimental group
B) the control group
C) the research group
D) the manipulated group

Question 25

Which of the following can be considered a major limitation of correlations?

A) Correlations cannot tell you if two variables are related.
B) Correlations are only studied in small samples.
C) Correlations cannot tell you how much two variables are related.
D) Correlations do not allow researchers to assess cause and effect between two variables.

Question 26

Which of the following statements represent a major difference between experimental methods and descriptive methods?

A) Experimental methods do not involve manipulation of variables.
B) Experimental methods do not involve controlling potential third variables.
C) Experimental methods allow for identification of cause and effect.
D) Both experimental methods do not involve manipulation of variables and experimental methods do not involve controlling potential third variables.

Question 27

One reason random assignment is considered important in experimental research is because

A) it allows researchers to determine which two variables are correlated to one another.
B) it allows a more representative sample of participants to be chosen for the study .
C) it allows researchers the ability to infer cause and effect.
D) both it allows a more representative sample of participants to be chosen for the study and it allows researchers the ability to infer cause and effect.

Question 28

What type of research involves exploring the relationship between two variables?

A) correlational research
B) naturalistic observation
C) survey method
D) archival research

Question 29

You want to conduct an experiment but you are concerned with being able to apply your findings to the general population.You would be more likely to conduct what type of study in this situation?

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Correlational study
C) Lab experiment
D) Field experiment

Question 30

A research design in which two or more groups of individuals are identical,or matching,on a third variable is known as ____________.

A) an archival design
B) a correlational design
C) a matched samples design
D) a survey method design

Question 31

All of the following can be considered a descriptive method except:

A) Experimental research
B) Naturalistic observation
C) Archival research
D) Correlational research

Question 32

Kristen is interested in studying how heat influences crime.Using data from weather reports and police records of crime reports she tests the hypothesis that crime is higher on days that are hot.Kristen has conducted a(n)

A) survey study
B) observational study
C) experiment
D) archival study

Question 33

Which of the following is a form of data collection in which participants are asked to rate or describe their own behavior or mental state?

A) experimental research
B) naturalistic observation
C) survey method
D) archival research

Question 34

A researcher who wants to know whether drinking caffeine causes increased energy would be most likely to conduct what type of study?

A) An archival study
B) An experimental study
C) A correlational study
D) An observational study

Question 35

In an attempt to determine whether noise interferes with performance,Marc randomly assigns participants to take a math test either while listening to loud music or in silence.In this study,the presence of absence of noise would be considered the:

A) independent variable
B) subject variable
C) dependent variable
D) random variable

Question 36

In an attempt to determine whether noise interferes with performance,Marc randomly assigns participants to take a math test either while listening to loud music or in silence.In this study,performance is considered the:

A) independent variable
B) predictor
C) dependent variable
D) the control group

Question 37

A researcher finds that there is a relationship between the amount of time college students spend at the library and performance on tests.Specifically,the more time spent at the library,the higher students scored on their exams.This relationship represents what type of correlation?

A) A positive correlation
B) A negative correlation
C) No correlation
D) An illusory correlation

Question 38

Experimental research involves which of the following?

A) Demonstrating correlations between variables
B) Random assignment of participants to experimental conditions
C) Manipulation of the independent variable
D) Both random assignment of participants to experimental conditions and manipulation of the independent variable

Question 39

Daniel conducts a study looking at the relationship between exercise and depression and finds there is a negative correlation.Daniel concludes that exercise causes people to become less depressed.However,a colleague points out the possibility that less depressed people may simply be more likely to exercise.This represents a problem in interpreting correlations best known as ____________.

A) The problem of direction
B) The third variable problem
C) Experimenter bias
D) Confounding

Question 40

A different factor that could be responsible for an observed effect between two other variables is defined as _____________.

A) a matched sample
B) a third variable
C) the directionality problem
D) both a third variable and the directionality problem

Question 41

Which ethical principle in the Belmont requires researchers do no harm by maximizing the potential benefits to participants and minimizing the potential harm?

A) Beneficence
B) Justice
C) Autonomy
D) Integrity

Question 42

A subject in your study correctly assumes that you are interested in whether people behave in a prejudicial way towards people of a homosexual orientation.She then goes out of her way to act friendly and nice.This represents an example of ______________.

A) the placebo effect
B) participant bias
C) error
D) experimenter bias

Question 43

As your book describes,Rosenthal and Jacobson conducted a study in 1969 which showed that teachers' expectations about the intelligence level of students influenced their subsequent behavior and treatment of the students.This study illustrates a potential problem known as ____________.

A) experimenter bias
B) placebo effect
C) participant bias
D) subject bias

Question 44

In order to avoid the problem of the placebo effect,a researcher could do which of the following?

A) Find a random sample of participants.
B) Inform participants that they are not receiving the active treatment pill.
C) Conduct a single-blind study.
D) Inform participants that they are not receiving the sugar pill.

Question 45

Christine conducted a study looking at how images of thin female bodies influenced participants' views of their own body.She told participants as much as she could before the study began but had to use some deception.Participants were told that their job was to look at a series of images of women and rate the appeal of the clothing being worn.Afterwards she had participants fill out questionnaires,including a measure of body dissatisfaction.Once participants filled out the questionnaires,she thanked them and sent them on their way.What ethical guideline did Christine fail to follow?

A) She did not obtain informed consent.
B) She did not tell her participants the exact reason for her study before it began.
C) She did not follow the principle of autonomy.
D) She did not debrief her participants.

Question 46

Which of the following statements best describes the primary responsibility of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?

A) The IRB ensures that researchers do not use any deception in their studies.
B) The IRB ensures that researchers debrief participants only when absolutely necessary
C) The IRB ensures that researchers report and publish the findings of their studies.
D) The IRB ensures that the proposed studies meet ethical guidelines for human and non-human research participation.

Question 47

An experimenter finds that students in a morning class perform better on a math test after being taught with a new teaching method compared with students in an afternoon class who are taught with a standard teaching method.He concludes that the new teaching method is superior to the old method.The main problem with this experimenter's conclusion is:

A) He did not find a random sample of participants.
B) He did not consider the importance of external validity.
C) He did not consider the possible influence of participant bias.
D) He did not consider the time of day that students were being taught.

Question 48

When a participant's suspicions,expectations,or assumptions about the study influence the results this is known as ______________.

A) confounding
B) participant bias
C) deception
D) invalidity

Question 49

A measureable improvement that is found in a participant that cannot be attributed to any treatment given by the experimenter is known as ___________

A) the placebo effect
B) participant bias
C) error
D) confounding

Question 50

When neither the experimenter nor the participant knows who is in the experimental group and who is in the control group,this is known as ______________.

A) a single-blind study
B) experimenter bias
C) a double-blind study
D) participant bias

Question 51

Which ethical principle in the Belmont requires that the benefits and the burdens of the research be fairly distributed?

A) Beneficence
B) Justice
C) Autonomy
D) Objectivity

Question 52

Researches who wish to conduct studies are NOT required to do which of the following?

A) Provide participants with information about the risks and benefits to participating in the study.
B) Provide participants with a full explanation of the hypothesis being tested following the experiment.
C) Provide participants with information about the exact hypothesis before the study begins so that subjects can make an informed decision about whether they want to participate.
D) Provide sufficient detail before the study begins so that subjects can make an informed decision about whether they want to participate.

Question 53

Subjects are told at the beginning of a study as much information as possible so that they can determine if they would like to participate.This is termed _______________.

A) Debriefing
B) Justice
C) Informed consent
D) Both justice and informed consent

Question 54

When every participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group in an experiment this is termed:

A) random assignment
B) random sampling
C) participant bias
D) manipulation of the independent variable

Question 55

According to your text,what type of study is considered the 'gold standard' in research because it offers the least threat of bias from participants or the experimenter?

A) a observational study
B) a field experiment
C) a single-blind study
D) a double-blind study

Question 56

A researcher gives half of her participants a new anti-anxiety pill and the other half a placebo pill.She does not tell participants whether they have received an active treatment pill or a sugar pill.This is an example of what type of study?

A) a prospective study
B) a single-blind study
C) a double-blind study
D) a observational study

Question 57

Which of the following statements about random assignment is NOT true:

A) Random assignment is important for inferring cause and effect.
B) Random assignment ensures that participants have an equal chance of being assigned to any group in the experiment.
C) Random assignment is most relevant for ensuring external validity.
D) Random assignment ensures that each group contains the same type of participants.

Question 58

Stanley Milgram conducted a famous study where he led participants to believe that they were administering increasingly painful electric shocks to another 'participant' when that person answered a question incorrectly.The false information provided to participants is known as ______________.

A) participant bias
B) deception
C) manipulation
D) experimenter bias

Question 59

Which of the following is a basic ethical principle outlined in the Belmont Report by The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research?

A) Beneficence
B) Autonomy
C) Justice
D) All answers listed are correct.

Question 60

At the end of a study,researchers are required to provide information to a participant about the hypotheses being tested,any deception that was used,and reasons for the use of deception.This process is termed _____________.

A) deceptive disclosure
B) informed consent
C) debriefing
D) autonomy

Question 61

An experimenter who decides not to tell participants whether they are receiving a treatment pill or a sugar pill is conducting a double-blind study.

Question 62

When a hypothesis is not supported by the data this means that it false.

Question 63

Experimental methods do not allow researchers to identify causes of behaviors and events.

Question 64

Distinguish between positive and negative correlations.Provide an example of each one.

Question 65

Random assignment is not necessary for researchers to be able to infer cause and in experimental studies.

Question 66

An experimenter who has falsely told participants they are taking part in a study about food preferences when the study is really concerned with eating disorders has utilized deception.

Question 67

Hindsight bias refers to the tendency for people to overestimate the extent to which others share their beliefs and behaviors

Question 68

Participant bias occurs when the researcher subconsciously shows bias in his/her evaluation of the results in order to reach a desired conclusion.

Question 69

If an experimenter seeks to learn the effects of music on anxiety and manipulates the type of music participants listen to,music is considered the independent variable.

Question 70

You want to conduct a study looking at the relationship between exercise and stress.You hypothesize that people who report exercising more will also report lower levels of stress.Using this example,describe how you would operationally define the variables of interest for this study.

Question 71

In some cases it has been found that a sugar pill produces the same result as an active treatment pill.

Question 72

When an operational definition is valid this suggests that it measures what it is supposed to measure.

Question 73

A study that asks participants to rate their level of satisfaction with life is an example of a naturalistic observational study.

Question 74

If it is necessary for the integrity of a study,researchers are allowed to utilize deception.

Question 75

Peggy does not provide research participants with a full explanation of her hypothesis after her study is complete Peggy has failed to obtain what is known as informed consent.

Question 76

Briefly outline the steps involved in the research process.

Question 77

A negative correlation between stress and job performance suggests that higher stress levels cause poorer job performance.

Question 78

Identify the major problem with the following hypothesis: "Bad parenting leads children to behave rudely." Briefly describe how you would re-phrase this hypothesis to make it testable.

Question 79

It is usually the case that if you increase the internal validity of your study,then you will be decreasing the external validity at the same time.

Question 80

What is descriptive research? Briefly define two types of descriptive research.